Need chord help

[Dan Krhla]

Looking for chords ( I know it's a guitar song but...) for

Hey Woody Guthrie (second song linked here)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI5xUM6tzzY

and Appalachian Soul
sorry could not find a link...


thanks! I'm sure JB will have something up in 10 minutes

[Jim Broyles]

Is this "Appalachian Soul?"

Hey, Bard, I honestly don't want to be a wise guy or mean or anything, but neither one of these songs is hard to figure out if you have a grasp of keys and the chords within them. "Woody" is a basic 3 chord folk song with a relative minor used as a story telling device to get to the 5 chord. How about if I tell you that the only chords in the entire song are D, G, A and Bm, and you try to figure it out?
If that's the right "Appalachian Soul" I'll do the same thing for you for that one.

[Dan Krhla]

JB thanks! that's the Appalachian Soul I was looking for. I definitely appreciate the "tough love" and you aren't being mean or wise. I have been working out breaks to our "rock songs" having a great time (from my last lame post). The jam went well enough that I got invited back to another one this weekend!

I only have bass & mandolin under my belt, and honestly, when I hear guitar chords (never ever played) either electric or acoustic, I can't 'get' them yet. I am doing great-ish with most mando chords by ear. Even when there are too many mandos in the mix, and not enough instruments in the 'guitar range', I play my octave mandolin & the G (open 0023) doesn't always sound like an open (or closed) G on the mando. I know it's a weak point & I am working on it. I unfortunately got the advice to "learn to see guitar chords" when someone else (the guitarist) is playing them, to make my way through songs at jams that I don't know. So I know what they look like when fretted, but am having trouble hearing them.

I will work through "woody" tonight and let you know how it goes. Thanks!!!

I appreciate your patience with my beginner questions.

[Jim Broyles]

Well, try to get to where you are not hearing "guitar" chords, or "mandolin" chords, but just chords. I saw that he was playing in D on the guitar, but to transcribe it, I listened with no instrument in my hand and wrote the chords down as he was playing them. I am not telling you this to brag but to say that it is very possible to develop your ear to the point that you can hear changes and know what they are just by the relationships that chords have to one another in sound and color. You can do it, just keep listening. When it comes to learning a new song on the fly at a jam, it is useful to be able to recognize guitar chord shapes, but you don't need to use it to try to figure out how to play a song. Use your ears. Play bass to it. You can figure out the chords by the bass notes, can't you?

[Mattg]

It takes a time, practice and exposure to get to a point where you can hear chords like Jbmando suggests. I'm starting to get there. In the mean time, if you learn some basic theory (like what chords and scales live in a key) and you can figure out the key, then the choice of chords is significantly narrowed. I'm also amazed at how often relative minors are used in folk, BG and Rock. Totally worth learning.

Most of the time, I can play along with a guitarist because I also play guitar and can recognize the chords. One of my folk playing friends capos everything so then I can't recognise the chords as fast. At that point, I just ask for the key and figure out the chords myself. Basic theory really helps.

[Perry]

Hey Bard

have you tried this G chord on your OM?:

0053

It's a G5 chord. It's a little 'less committal' meaning it doesn't apply minor or major just "G-ness" and tends to work well in a band situation.

Some bluegrasser guitar players favor a similar chord as it has more drive.

I play my octave mandolin & the G (open 0023) doesn't always sound like an open (or closed) G on the mando.

[Jim Broyles]

"Appalachian Soul" - A E/G# F#m D E - The E/G# (E with a G# in the bass, or E over G#) is the walk down to the F#m from the A. That's all yer gettin.

[Dan Krhla]

Hey JB, thanks for that, I definitely have "Soul" more "in my head" so I will try that tonight.
Perry, I just got Nile's 'Mandolin Chords and how to use them' and there is a "power chord' section in it where he uses that G. Some of the Dead tunes we do I have used that chord and it sounds more gooder.

Thanks again all for your patience, I will get back after trying these out. Sometimes I work chords out on the OM as they sound more guitar-y then translate to mandolin. I don't want this to become my crutch, but I hope it can help me till I get on my feet.

Thanks!

[Dan Krhla]

I have been working a bit more on what scales and chords live in what key. My bass background helps, but it took me a couple years to come to the obvious realization that they are related - doh!